Outside of Konoha's Walls
by Akgrym
Summary: Hyuga Affair never happened because Kumo spies had their eyes on a better prize - Konoha's own demon container. How would this one difference drastically change Naruto's life? Meet Naruto no-last-name and his family of wandering nomads. Naru/Hina later.
1. Lost

**Outside of Konoha's Walls**

**By: Akgrym**

Chapter 1: Lost

_December 27, Year 3 after the start of Konoha-Kumo war_

Hiashi Hyuga observed the proceeding at the town square with an impassive calm that could fool anyone except his twin brother.

Several high ranking Kumo shinobis, led by the head ninja of Kumo shinobi corp as the ambassador, were seated at a long table for the ceremonial signing of Konoha-Kumo peace treaty. Sitting next to them was a diplomat from Cloud Daimyo's court to officiate this meeting. At the opposite end of the table sat a representative from Fire Daimyo's court. The Third Hokage was beside the representative, his two senior advisors flanking his sides.

All the major clan heads and their heirs, as well as most of the council members were gathered at the town square to witness this monumental event. On the streets leading to the town square, people were lining up to watch the signing.

It was very subtle, but Hiashi caught the one-eyed head Kumo nin staring at his daughter Hinata.

If not for a lifetime's training to master his emotions, Hiashi would have launched a Juken strike in the Kumo ambassador's face and liquify his rotten brain the moment the bastard glanced at his three-year-old daughter's direction. Peace treaty be damned!

It took every ounce of self control he had to keep from accidentally activating his White Eye out of sheer indignation. He would bet his left eye the Third knew the Kumo scumbag was lying through his teeth about 'wanting peace', and he would then bet his right eye the aging Kage still wanted to sign the treaty with those fork-tongued belly crawlers!

Taking in a deep breath, the Hyuga clan head shifted his weight by the tiniest fraction to his right. This small movement allowed his long sleeves to catch the chilly winter breeze and therefore conveniently formed a screen to shield most of Hinata's face from the Kumo ambassador and his entourage.

He knew a filthy thief when he saw one. The greedy look in that Kumo ninja's one good eye really set his teeth on edge.

Discreetly, Hiashi signaled his clansman Ko with a sideway glance. The young man followed his silent order and moved closer to completely block Hinata from view.

The proceeding dragged on for another hour or so. By the end of the peace conference, the Third signed the treaty and shook the Kumo ambassador's hand. This action officially marked the end of Konoha-Kumo war.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his Hokage hat and sat down behind his desk with a heavy sigh. It's been a long day and he knew he was getting too old for this.

In the short span of ten years, Konoha was forced to fight war after war after war. First it was the Third Shinobi World War which reduced Konoha's rank to less than half its previous strength, and then there was that tragic Kyuubi incident which cost Konoha its young Hokage along with dozens of its finest shinobis. Right after that Kumo took advantage of their weakened state and declared war which lasted three more years!

Of course he knew the peace treaty with Kumo was as flimsy as the paper they signed the treaty on. The sad truth was, Konoha simply could not afford to lose any more of its force less losing its place as the five great nations! They needed peace! Even the warhawk Danzo understood that and supported the peace treaty.

Thinking about Danzo, the Third took a deep drag of his pipe and let out another exasperated sigh. How many time was it? Eleven? Twelve? How many more times would Danzo petition to raise Konoha's own demon container to be an emotionless killing machine? Did Suna's example not enough of a horror story to ward him off this dangerous path? If you treat a boy like a monster, how could you be surprised if that boy grows up to be a real monster?

Shaking his head, Hiruzen reached for his viewing orb and swiped the hidden seal matrix with a spike of chakra. He wanted to check on Minato's boy one last time before he headed home for the night.

Nothing.

Hiruzen frowned and carefully formed the necessary hand seals to activate the viewing orb again.

Still nothing.

Alarmed, the Third abruptly stood up from his seat and barked out a set of orders. "Tiger, seal the gates. I want no one in and no one out. Cat, check Danzo and report back ASAP. Bear, greet our guests from Kumo and keep them in the hotel. Scatter!"

Three masked ANBU dropped down from the ceiling and kneeled before the Hokage to acknowledge his order before leaping out of the window.

Pacing the length of his office, Hiruzen snapped another order with a sharp tone. "Dog! Bird! Bring me Naruto Uzumaki right now!"

Two more masked ANBU kneeled before the Hokage and flashed out of his office.

The God of Shinobi did not know he was already too late. Minato's Legacy was lost. It would be years before the boy returned to Konoha again.

* * *

Her name was Rin, or so she thought. She wasn't sure what her last name was, or if she even had one.

She did not even know what she look like. She was blind.

She knew she was a ninja because she knew she could mold and use her chakra. She could remember the names and the associated hand seals to form jutsus. She knew what various herbs and medicine look like and smell like, and she was fairly confident she knew how to use them correctly.

She could not, for the life of her, remember where she came from, or where her affiliation was.

For a ninja, not knowing one's affiliation was equal to eventual capture and torture. For a blind kunoichi during war time, it was a receipt for certain death, or worse.

For a blind civilian girl who lost her memory due to severe head trauma, the odd was significantly better.

Rin thanked her lucky star that she was found by civilians in the first place. Without her headband, they wouldn't know she was a ninja. According to the good people who rescued her, they found her floating down the Frost River with a death grip to a thick tree branch that also happened to impaled her right shoulder. There was also a gaping wound on her forehead and burn marks all over her body on top of that.

Apparently she did not know when to quit and die. That was a plus in her book.

For a while, she bid her time and focused on recovering her strength. The penetrating wound on her right shoulder was pretty bad, but it should not impede her mobilities if she needed to escape in a pinch.

Her loss of vision was not so easy to cope though.

She ruthlessly shoved down the sense of hopelessness that was starting to well up in her chest and focused on her breathing. Her Jonin teacher had told her the importance of keeping a cool head in any situation...

Who was her teacher again?

So Rin kept her calm and played up the 'helpless civilian girl' role to a T for the next month until she was strong enough to slip out of the hospital in the middle of the night. The task was not as difficult as she originally thought since she had full use of her other senses. Knowing how to use chakra helped a great deal. It was by accident that she discovered she could get a rough bearing by sending out small pulses of chakra in precise interval. The way her chakra passed through surrounding objects reminded her of ripples on a lake's surface.

She may be blind, at least she was not helpless.

As more time passed by, Rin had come to peace with her current situation. With her ability to sense her surrounding, she had no problem navigating the wilderness that was Frost Country on her own. She could gather herbs, trap small animals, and basically live off the land with her ninja skills. Her priority was to survive, so that means she took great pain to avoid civilization as much as possible. Civilization meant ninja, ninja meant death. Her will to survive outshone her desire for creature comforts.

She only ventured into town when she needed to trade for supplies or to gather information. The importance of collecting enough information had been drilled into her head since she was an Academy student...

Yes, she remembered she went to a ninja academy in a hidden village, but she still couldn't remember WHICH hidden village. This was so frustrating!

Rin would have been happy just wandering aimlessly in the wilderness for the rest of her life if not for that one particular incident.

It was in the dead of winter, in the depth of Frost Country's dense forest, two years since she woke up in the hospital, that she felt the explosion of this monstrous yet familiar chakra. The sheer pressure of that malevolent chakra had knocked her off her feet and extracted all the air out of her lungs. For a moment she was sure she was having a heart attack.

After an eternity, the evil chakra that was suffocating her abruptly dispersed into nothingness. Gasping loudly, Rin sucked in a large gulp of air only to gag at the burst of stench that reeked of blood and gore. She whimpered weakly and pulled her winter cloak over her mouth with a shaky hand. It took her a couple tries but she managed to pull out a kunai from her waist pack and stabbed her left arm with it. The sudden pain jolted her back to her senses, and the next second she was able to get back on her feet. Every fiber of her being was screaming for her to run away if only her legs would co-operate and move!

Maybe it was Fate, but Rin's inability to move at that moment changed the rest of her life.

Since she lost her vision, Rin had to depend on her other senses to navigate the world. Over time, her other senses naturally improved to compensate for her blindness. Rin would not have noticed the faint gurgling sounds coming from the direction of evil chakra otherwise.

Rin forced herself to calm down and extended her senses toward the sounds. Much to her surprise, all her senses confirmed that the sounds came from a small human child. Her curiosity warred with her instinct for flight and curiosity won out at the end. With great trepidation, Rin headed toward the sounds and finally found herself face to face with a young boy in the midst of dead bodies.

* * *

Naruto.

The boy was in shock, and was much too young to answer more of her questions. At the end, all Rin could get out of him was his name.

That, and he liked ramen.

Rin cleaned up the boy (he was covered in gore), wrapped him in her spare cloth (his own cloth reeked strongly of blood), fed him (not ramen, but he wasn't complaining), and then she found herself making cooing sounds to lull the kid to sleep.

The boy clung to her like a lifeline since then, and she didn't have the heart to deny him. It was almost like no one had ever been nice to the kid so he naturally latched onto the first person who would show him some kindness. It was nuts!

And then, when he started calling her Mom, she knew she could never get rid of this kid. Not that she wanted to either. Life was much more meaningful now that she was not alone.

Naruto was a good kid.

The boy was happy, intelligent, empathic, eager to please, and full of energy. It was impossible not to like him.

There was a small complication though. Rin was trained to be a ninja, therefore, it was difficult for her to ignore all the danger signs.

First of all, the amount of raw chakra Naruto had was abnormally large for his age. The most logical explanation was that the boy was from a clan of ninjas with some kind of bloodline limit. Involving herself with anything ninja was bad news.

Secondly, after combing through the dead bodies and disposing them, Rin was certain some of them were Kumo ninjas while some of them were civilians. All of them were torn apart by some kind of vicious animal. Those claw marks did not seem to fit anything she knew, and more curiously, there was no bite marks. What kind of animal would kill only with its claws but not its teeth?

Finally, that positively malicious chakra really scared the living daylight out of her. Rin could only hypothesize that the evil chakra was connected to the claw marks, but there was no further proof. The part that disturbed her the most was how they all seemed to connect to Naruto. How did a little boy survive a monster attack that killed a group of ninjas?

She could think of a few more hypotheses, but it would be a pointless exercise.

Even if the boy were dangerous, even if keeping the kid meant constantly moving around to evade capture, it was too late - Rin already considered herself to be Naruto's mother. What kind of mother would willing abandon her child?

* * *

Rin decided to head for Wave Country.

They were currently somewhere in the extensive black forest within Frost Country, a small country that was too weak to sustain its own hidden village. Unfortunately, Frost Country was located right between the two clashing forces of Konoha and Kumo, and neither sides seemed to mind waging war on a third party's soil. Rin alone had managed to hide in the wilderness and avoid drawing attention to herself, but with an untrained kid in tow, it became more challenging to hide their presence.

Besides, people would be looking for those dead Kumo ninjas. It would be unwise to linger any longer.

Since heading east (Kumo) or west (Konoha) were equally bad ideas, this left them with two viable options; head north to Rice Country, or head South to Wave Country. Having paid enough attention to local gossips, Rin was aware of recent rumors of mysterious disappearances within Rice Country and thought better to tempt Fate.

Her decision to go to Wave Country turned out to be a great choice. As they moved closer to Wave, Rin started hearing news about an ongoing civil war that became increasingly bloody in Water Country. This civil war, more closely resembled a genocide, resulted in a steady stream of refugees fleeing the island nation to nearby coastal cities. Wave Country was one of the prime spot where refugees from Water Country congregated before scattering all over Elemental Countries to build a new life.

No one would spare a second glance at a blind single mother with her young child in Wave; there were too many devastated families around for anyone to care.

"Let me know if you are tired, alright? I'll find us a place to stay for the night. We are pretty close to a town, so we could probably sleep in a bed for a change." Rin squeezed Naruto's hand gently as she asked. For a child his age, Naruto's stamina was unreal. Though Rin knew better to assume the boy would not be exhausted after a few months of camping out and traveling on foot.

Flashing her a brilliant grin, Naruto replied eagerly. "I'm not tired. I can walk lots! I can skip, too! Look!" And then the three-year-old boy proceeded to skip for the rest of the way to town. His overly exuberant behavior was cut short when a frantic call for help rang out near the outskirt of the sleepy port town.

"Somebody help! Please! My daughter! We need a healer! Please help!"

Naturally, Naruto said the first thing that came to his young, innocent mind, "mom we should totally help. Someone is in trouble!"

Rin sighed.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a dilemma; one part of him wanted to jeer at those fools' gobsmacked faces for digging their own graves, and another part of him just wanted to savagely rip their throats out.

"More importantly, we cannot even demand retribution from Kumo for kidnapping Konoha's own demon container. If we do, then they will know for sure Konoha has lost its Tailed Beast while they have a combined power of both Eight Tails and Two Tails! War with Kumo will resume if they find out. On top of that, other nations will see this as a major sign of weakness. I wouldn't be surprised if they choose to ally with Kumo and start a joint attack to wipe Konoha off the map!" The Third finished with a snarl.

From the look on all the council members' aghast faces, Hiruzen was sure they got his message loud and clear. "I don't care how you people think of Naruto. The fact is, a loyal demon container is a hidden village's greatest guardian, a true hero who serves as the village's ultimate shield. They are not called Human Sacrifice for nothing! Their presence alone could ward off invasions from other countries."

The aging Hokage's voice suddenly rose in righteous anger. "For three generations the Uzumaki clan have served Konoha in this capacity since the First Hokage's time. Yet, from what I can see, this ungrateful village not only spat on their devotion but also trampled on the Fourth's dying request! Now we've lost Kyuubi's power, as well as the last Uzumaki, would someone else like to offer their newborn child for the next Tailed Beast we happen across? Eh? Anyone? No? I thought not."

Hiruzen gave all the council members a piercing look before he continued. "Our Hunter-nin division tracked the kidnappers all the way to Frost Country. Unfortunately, the trail went cold a month ago. However, we have reasons to believe those Kumo spies failed to deliver Naruto to Cloud Country. Evidently an unknown third party intercepted them and slaughtered the entire group. All we could find were ashes from cremated corpses. If Naruto were among the dead, then we should expect Kyuubi to reform within a decade and take its revenge on our village. If he were alive, then let's pray to Kami he remains loyal to this village that mistreated him. Now, any questions?"

The following outcry from every council member was actually quite comical, in the Professor's opinion.

* * *

The frantic cry for help came from a middle-aged man named Tazuna. He was a burly man who worked honest labor all his life and had the tanned skin and bulging muscles to show for it. His only daughter Tsunami recently lost her husband at sea and her grief took a heavy toll on her health. She finally collapsed in the kitchen that day and Tazuna was reduced to a nervous wreck. He then did the only thing he knew how - he picked up his daughter and went screaming into the night for help like a headless chicken.

After calming the half-crazed father down, Rin then discreetly used a sealless diagnosis jutsu to scan her body. It didn't take her long to sort out the problem. "She will be fine, there is no lasting damage. A blood replenishing pill and a couple nutrition pills with her breakfast for a week should prevent this from happening again. She will need to take better care of her body, otherwise the baby would be in danger."

"Baby?" Tazuna repeated dumbly.

Rin smiled. "Congratulations, grandpa."

Said grandpa promptly rolled his eyes into the back of his head and fainted on the spot. Now Rin had two patients to look after. Great.

* * *

Knowing that she had a baby growing inside of her was exactly what Tsunami needed to pull her out of her crippling grief. This happy news had, quite literally, injected some life into her.

Upon hearing her savior needed to find a place to stay, Tsunami quickly offer them lodging as a show of gratitude. And no, she would not take no for an answer.

This was how Rin and Naruto came to stay at Wave.

As it turned out, Rin's expertise as a healer was much sought after in Wave. The refugees flooding into the small port town were mostly not at their best of health. The cold weather did nothing to help the situation either, not to mention the slum-like refugee camp at the edge of town was a warm bed for incubating diseases. If Rin had not been there to offer her service, Wave would be fighting a plague come summer.

The local populace were so grateful of Rin, they gave her a small house with a plot of land and asked her to stay.

Rin set up shop and called it 'Sea Breeze Clinic'.

When business was slow, Rin would take Naruto to the woods to collect herbs with his help. Her chakra control was not delicate enough to recognize minor details on a plant. Besides, even if she had god-like chakra control, she still could not tell colors without her vision.

Naruto once told her he had bright yellow hair and blue eyes with three slash marks on each cheek. Rin wished she could see for herself, but all she could do was seeing the boy with her hands. His hair was thick and spiky, most of the time gravity-defying. When she ran her fingers through his hair, it would bounce back almost immediately. His eyes were large (one would shudder at the devastating effects of his puppy eyes), but when he smiled they often close up to make way for his ear splitting grin. Rin imagined the boy would have a fox-like appearance when he was happy, especially with those whisker marks on his cheeks.

She bet he was as cunning and mischievous as a fox, not that she wanted to find out at the receiving end of his pranks.

Naruto was a natural at making friends. When he was not helping Rin out around the house, he was running around town and being his cheerful self. Less than a month since they got there, the kid could already greet every single person in Wave by name. Three more weeks after that, he had all the adults wrapped around his little fingers.

On the last day of spring, Naruto came home with a six-year-old street urchin in tow.

"Please, oh please can we keep her?" Rin could almost HEAR the puppy eye look on Naruto's face.

Great. Other people bring home stray animals, Naruto brings home stray kids.

Rin sighed again and not for the first time asked merciful Kami what she had got herself into.

The 'her' turned out to be a very androgynous 'him'; Rin discovered that after scrubbing the new kid raw in the tub. According to the number of times Naruto used the word 'pretty' when he described his new brother, Haku would grow up to break hearts men and women alike.

Rin had the urge to bang her head against a desk when she ran a scan and found that Haku had a rare and powerful bloodline. She would need to train him in chakra control so he would not accidentally hurt people around him.

Giving it a bit more thoughts, Rin decided it would make sense to give both Haku and Naruto the comprehensive training on all ninja arts. Just the other day there was this bloodthirsty Kiri ninja with a giant butcher knife strapped to his back wandering through town, terrorizing innocent town folks everywhere he went. Who knows if they would be bumping into more of those unsavory kinds in the future! One could never be too prepared, after all.

* * *

Jiraiya had never entertained the thought of mutiny, until now. His godson, Minato and Kushina's living legacy, was gone because some foolish civilians thought it was a great idea to get rid of the 'demon fox incarnate' by handing Naruto to those Kumo bastards on a silver platter.

If those kidnappers were not burnt to ashes already, Jiraiya would be flogging their corpses right now.

Jiraiya wondered not for the last time if he should have raised Naruto by himself, assassins from Iwa be damned. Who needed enemy when your own people treated you like garbage!

Not like it mattered anymore. Naruto was lost. The Fourth's sacrifice was for nought.

Yet Jiraiya refused to quit. He vowed to find Naruto again and bring the boy home, even if it meant tearing the entire Elemental Continent apart one country at a time! Starting with Cloud Country...

* * *

A/N: Hi all. This is my first Naruto fanfic. It will be Naruto/Hinata eventually, but my focus right now is not on pairings at all. Please review if you like the story. Thanks.


	2. Brothers

Chapter 2: Brothers

_Summer, six years after Kyuubi's defeat_

Rin bit back a curse as she lowered her head and casually walked pass yet another team of shinobi on the street before docking into a small grocery store. She carefully reached out her senses to monitor their movement while pretending to check the ripeness of an orange in her hand. Concentrating a small amount of chakra to her ears, Rin carefully isolated out the conversation between the team of unknown ninjas on the busy street.

"Alright you three, listen up. We'll be staying in the local inn for the night and wait for the client to unload their merchandise. Tomorrow we'll set out for the return trip back to Konoha. I know it's your first C-Rank mission, try not to get too excited. Set up a schedule for the night and work out the defense pattern for tomorrow. You should all know how to do this by now so don't ask me." Said a deep male voice.

_Right. Target is a team of one jonin teacher and three genin students. The genins are likely rookies since this is their first out-of-town mission, most likely a straightforward escort mission. The jonin is not expecting any trouble since he is relaxed enough to talk about their mission in the middle of the street. Not a smart move on his part, so one would think either the jonin is too confident about his ability, or he did not think anyone would care about this information._

Rin let out a small sigh of relief. Good, they were not here for her or her family. Still, meeting a bunch of ninjas in town unexpectedly put a bad taste in her mouth.

The source of her current sour mood could be traced back to an innocent comment from Naruto three years ago.

_"Why do people live in cardboard boxes next to the dumpster? Wouldn't they smell garbage all the time?" The three-year-old blond boy asked his favorite uncle Tazuna in a quiet tone. _

_Tazuna and Rin exchanged a look. Before either of them could answer his question, Naruto's new brother Haku spoke. "They are refugees from Water Country, most likely. Many of them were forced out of their homes, just like I was, sad and homesick. I am fortunate enough to meet you, but not everyone is so lucky. It is difficult to start a new life again. While some of them may not have the necessary skills to start over, some simply lose their wills to try."_

_Naruto was troubled deeply by Haku's words. "They just give up? That's not right at all! I know, let's tell them to try again. After all, you listened to me when you gave up. Maybe they just need some encouragement, and then they'll be all better, like when i met you. These people are bigger and older and they are not all alone like you were, so it should be a piece of cake for them to try harder. If a kid can do it, a bunch of grown-ups sure can too!" _

_The boys did not notice, but some of those people living in the slum perked up as they overheard this conversation. _

_Naruto was not done yet. "Besides, if they need skills, we can teach them! Mom, you are smart, I bet you are a great teacher. I mean, you teach me stuff, and I understand them. Uncle Tazuna, you are really awesome too. You can build stuff with your hands, like boats and houses. Hey, I know! Why don't we build a big, long bridge to Water Country so people can visit home if they are homesick?"_

_Tazuna chuckled and messed up the blond boy's hair affectionately. "I don't know, kid. That bridge will be one super long bridge to go all the way to Water Country. That's what ships are for. I do like the bridge idea though. I think it will be super useful to build a bridge to the coast of Fire Country instead. Imagine the business we can bring in! You sure have some interesting ideas, Naruto." He rubbed his stubbly chin thoughtfully and mused out loud, "you know what? If this bridge thing works out, I'll personally head the project and name it the Great Naruto Bridge. How do you like that, eh?"_

The carpenter was half joking when he made the promise. Much to his shock, people started showing up at his house and asked to work on the bridge the very next day! Most of them were refugees and they were happy to trade labor for food plus on-the-job training. When the locals heard of this, a lot of them decided to pitch in and donate materials for the project. Tazuna was completely floored by the response.

Three years later, the Great Naruto Bridge was built. The economy of Wave was at an all time high, and the old slum near the dump had been bulldozed long before the completion of the bridge. That area was converted into a community garden where the locals socialize. Tazuna, due to his contribution to Wave, was elected as mayor to represent the city in the Wave Daimyo's court.

However, as the local economy boomed, Rin and her little family was increasingly agitated. The Great Naruto Bridge not only brought in merchants and tourists, it also brought in ninjas from all over Elemental Countries. It was almost impossible to not see any ninja hanging around town at least once a day. Rin's nerve was fraying at the edge.

Naruto and Haku were perceptive, empathic kids especially in tune with their mother's mood. They could tell Rin was itching to bolt every time she was in the same general area as ninjas. One day, they decided enough was enough.

Haku locked up the clinic at the end of the day. He stood by the door while Naruto got Rin's attention. "Mom, we need to talk." Naruto said in a serious voice.

Rin raised an eyebrow and sat down. "Go ahead."

"I think it's time for us to move. I mean, Wave is nice and all, but there are more and more ninjas everyday. We know you hate them, so..."

"Let me be clear on this," Rin interrupted gently. "I don't hate ninjas. Why would I hate them when I try to teach you boys as much ninja skills as I could? I am weary of them because I don't want to be captured and tortured for information. Also, I don't want them to take too much interest in you because of your bloodlines. Some villages practice bloodline theft regularly. It would be most unpleasant if they decide to keep you as lab rats and experiment on you. We are in an even more vulnerable position comparing to normal ninjas because we don't have a hidden village to back us up. This is why I ask you to pretend to be civilians at all time and try to avoid ninjas as much as possible."

The horrified look on their young faces was all the response Rin needed, even though she couldn't really see it. She could practically hear their revulsion from the way their breath hitched.

"Experiment on people? Like lab rats? This is disgusting!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yup. Keep in mind that sometimes legitimate experiments are conducted on volunteers. Those are extremely rare though. If you are captured by enemy ninjas, chances are they won't ask your permission before cutting you up and taking a look at what's inside."

Naruto was feeling slightly queasy from Rin's explanation. "Now you are just trying to scare me, mom."

Rin flashed her boys a brilliant smile and replied, "nope, I wasn't. Haven't you heard of this saying - if you are naughty, Orochimaru will take you to his lab and feed you to his snakes?"

Both boys gasped. "Orochimaru is real?" Haku said faintly.

"Of course. He is one of the Legendary Sannin from Konoha. Tsunade the Slug Princess and Jiraiya the Toad Sage are his old teammate. Their names are well known throughout all the Elemental Countries. Some people say each one of them is easily as strong as a Kage." Rin paused for a moment and added, "I'm not saying a S-rank criminal is looking for us. I'm trying to explain the importance of avoiding ninjas in general. Now that I've explained myself, do you two still think you want to move? This town has been your home for three years after all."

Naruto gave Haku a look and replied, "I'm sure. It's just not worth it anymore. Besides, it's not like we have to move very far away, right? Like, if we move to Fish Island, that place is only one hour boat ride away. We can visit Wave any time we want."

Rin thought about it and agreed. "You're right. Fish Island is actually a very good choice. It's close enough for us to visit here, and it's too remote for ninjas to visit. Nothing ever goes on in that tiny little place. So Fish Island it is then?"

One week later, they were all packed and ready to move. Tazuna presented them a small fishing boat he built and asked them to visit often. Tsunami gave them each a long hug and asked the boys to take care of their mother. Inari, Tsunami's two-year-old son, was a sobbing mess.

"Hey, little man. We'll visit, so don't cry." Naruto himself was struggling to hold in tears. "Here, take care of this for me. I made this myself." He handed the crying boy his fishing rod. Inari grabbed the gift with both hands and sniffed loudly.

They boarded the boat and waved goodbye, smiling at their oldest friends in Wave as they went their separate way. The Tazuna family stayed on the dock and waved back for a long time until the dark shade of the boat eventually disappeared behind a thick fog.

* * *

Fish Island, current population two hundred and thirty eight, was aptly named as such because there were numerous fishing spots all around the small island. Old fishermen in Wave would know that those fishing spots were once enormous whirlpools, but common folks would not even remember that this tiny blip of a place once had a different name - Whirlpool Country.

Known for its rich natural resources, formidable defenses, and home of the Hidden Village of Uzushio, Whirlpool was a small island country ruled by a clan of powerful ninjas, the Uzumaki's. The Uzumaki Clan was famed for their unusual longevity, their flame-like red hair that matches their temper, and their natural affinity to Sealing lore. Their unparalleled mastery of Sealing lore, however, became the cause of their downfall twenty years ago.

Fearing the Uzumaki's Sealing prowess, Kiri and Kumo form an uneasy alliance and set out to destroy the country in a brutal assault. Uzushio's strongest alliance since the beginning of Shinobi Age, Konoha, was unfortunately too entrenched in their war against Iwa to offer any meaningful help. After a continuous siege over a span of two weeks, Uzushio fell. Not wanting to take any chances, Kiri and Kumo then proceed to raze the island to the ground. There were some survivors who were lucky enough to be evacuated off the island, but those were all civilians. Every last Uzushio shinobi died defending their country. The once great Uzumaki Clan was no more.

After the fall of Uzushio, Konoha ninjas would wear the red and white Uzumaki whirl on their backs as a reminder of friendship and shame.

The destruction of Whirlpool Country was so complete, it left a deep stigma in people's memory so no one really want to talk about it.

If Rin and her family had known about this, they would have avoided this place like the plague. Too bad no one thought to inform them.

* * *

"Hello, I'm Gato, owner of the Gato Company, and mayor of this fishing settlement. Welcome to Fish Island. You must be Healer Rin. I've heard so much about you."

They had sent message ahead before the trip, so they knew people were expecting them when they reached the port. The settlement on Fish Island was small enough that every new face would draw attention. They did not expect to be greeted by the town's mayor, however.

Naruto frowned and carefully examined the short, stubby man who declared himself as the big shot of this town. For some reasons this Gato character was giving him the creep. He had to actively suppress the urge to clobber him especially when he shook Rin's hand. The guy was openly leering at his mother!

Peering at Haku's direction, Naruto's gut feeling was confirmed when he saw the slight tension around his brother's eyes. Well, it's official now. They decided they would do their best to shield Rin from this sleazebag from now on. No one mess with their family and get away with it!

After the longer-than-necessary handshake, Gato finally let go of Rin's hand and continued his role as the mayor of this town. "Now, please follow me. I have prepared a place for you. This town might be small, but we could really use your service. Fishing is a dangerous job after all, you'll be surprised how many injuries one can get after a rough trip out to the sea."

Naruto exchanged a look with Haku, both of them soundlessly mouthed the word 'thugs' and looked away.

They continued down the small road leading to the town center and quickly found themselves in front of a weather-beaten cottage. "Well, this place is not great, but it's close to the port and not far from town. You can set up your clinic here. I'm sure it'll do nicely if you just air it out... HEY!" Gato let out a loud curse when he opened the door. A small blur of gray shot out of the cottage and zoomed passed the group at a breakneck speed.

Two seconds later, the blur of gray abruptly stumbled over a patch of uneven ground and fell over. Before anyone could react, the small form picked himself up and darted into the dense woods nearby.

Gato shouted curses and shook his fist at the disappearing figure. "Filthy rat! You squatters are bleeding me dry!" He huffed angrily and warned, "better watch out for them thieves. Those delinquents steal food from hard-working people like me. Wait 'till I get my hands on them. I ought to hang them by their toes and throw them off this island for good."

"Of course, Mr. Mayor. Those leeches who exploit honest folks should be punished accordingly." Rin agreed smoothly. Naruto and Haku both had to bite the inside of their cheeks to not laugh out loud at the barb.

Gato puffed up like a rooster, looking mighty pleased with himself. "Exactly, I'm glad we both agree. Well, look at the time. I should leave you to your task. We are both busy people after all. You need to unload your luggages, and my company won't run itself. Let me know if you need anything, I'll be in touch. Good day." He gave her a self-important nod and left.

They waited a few minutes until they were sure Gato was out of their earshot, and promptly burst out laughing.

Naruto wiped a tear out of his eye from laughing too hard and asked breathlessly, "oh man, is this guy for real?"

"Yeah, unfortunately, that clown is the mayor of this town." Rin sighed and shook her head. "I think we should only unpack the bare minimum and leave the rest of our gears alone. I have a feeling we won't be staying here for too long."

Haku chirped up, "about that, the squatter from earlier... I think it's a kid about my age. Way too fast to be a regular kid, in fact."

"The boy had shinobi training." Rin agreed. "I can feel the chakra boost when he shot out of the door."

Naruto added with a soft voice. "I saw him. He looked really, really hungry. I smelt blood too. Old blood."

Haku recognized the look on Naruto's face, so he asked him to elaborate.

The blond boy said ruefully to his family, "look, I know I'm sticking my nose into someone else's business, but it's not right. He is hungry and sick, mom, this much I can tell. We need to do something. No one else would."

So help they did.

Knowing the kid would only shy away if they actively go out to find him, they decide to be sneaky about it.

At first, they would casually leave food out and let it go missing. After a few days, they put a scentless, tasteless knockout drug in a freshly baked apple pie and let it cool on the windowsill. Two minutes later, they caught the culprit passed out cold next to the window, half of the freshly baked pie still clunched tightly in his bony fists.

Naruto was right. The kid was hungry and sick.

* * *

Kimimaro woke up in a soft bed, feeling clean and rested for the first time in a very long time. He cautiously opened his eyes and examined his surrounding. Someone had gone through the trouble to catch him with drugged food, only to patch him up and put him in a soft bed to rest. The room he was in was small but clean. The faint scents of lavender and other nameless herbs on the bedding gave off a calming effect. Next to the bed, there was a small table with a cup of water and a loaf of bread.

He knew better than to eat anything at this point, even though he was still hungry.

Someone knocked on the door. He tensed but did not answer.

The door squeaked open. Two kids, one with short blond hair and one with long black hair, came into the room. The blond one looked about six or seven, and the long-haired one looked about the same age as he was. "Hey, you're awake. I'm Naruto," the blond boy said cheerfully and gestured the other child, "and this is my brother Haku. Did you sleep ok? I should let mom know if you're not feeling well."

Kimimaro stared at the pair of brothers blankly without saying anything. The blond boy named Naruto twitched uncomfortably under his steady gaze.

The sound of his growling stomach broke the silence. Despite his stoic facade, Kimimaro blushed.

Naruto grinned widely, his young face lit up like the sun. "You're hungry! Mom said you would. There is bread on the table. I'll go check the kitchen and find you more stuff. Don't worry, it's not drugged this time." He waved and slipped out of the room.

Haku pulled out a chair and sat down, facing Kimimaro. "What's your name?" He asked. His voice was very soft and his features were very delicate. If Naruto had not said anything, Kimimaro was sure this Haku person was a girl.

"Kimimaro." He answered.

"Where are you from?"

"Water Country."

Haku hummed thoughtfully to himself for a moment and said in a clear voice, "You have a bloodline limit."

Kimimaro clamped his mouth shut with an audible click and eyed the boy in front of him cautiously.

Haku shrugged dismissively. "I have one too, and I was from Water Country as well. I assumed you have shinobi training. You do know how to use chakra, correct?"

Feeling slightly lost, Kimimaro nodded hesitantly to Haku's question.

"Good. As long as you have enough control to not to harm anyone around you, no one cares. At least my family don't." Haku said, paused for a moment and then added, "just don't use it in front of other people. This place is a little... let's just say the mayor of this town has some questionable business practices."

Kimimaro could only nod dumbly. He knew his upbring was lacking regarding normal human interactions, but wow, did he feel out of his elements at this point. Do normal people casually drug street urchins just to give them food and shelter later? He had no point of reference for comparison. Then again, he grew up in a sealed cage in his clan's dungeon. His perception of normal was perhaps, skewed?

Haku stood up from the chair and stretched. "I'll leave you alone for now, Kimimaro. Let me know if you need anything. You can stay as long as you want, we won't stop you if you want to leave either. Just remember one thing." The dark-haired boy suddenly leaned forward with a long, sharp needle in his hand, pressing up against his carotid artery. "If you hurt my family, I'll kill you. Are we clear?"

Kimimaro had no objection.

* * *

There were two secrets to Gato's success in business; he transported illegal goods for maximum profits, and he hired thugs to literally beat down his competition.

Fish Island was an ideal location to serve as his base of operation. Due to its geographical location between Lightning Country and Water Country, he would smuggle out desperate bloodline wielders from Water Country, knock them out with dangerous narcotics, and then sell them for a hefty sum to Kumo. Rogue ninjas were cheap to employ for this task, and Raikage paid well for any bloodline wielders.

On top of that, there was no shortage of regular civilians who wanted to escape Water Country either. He had been making money hand over fist on the slave market since the start of the civil war - people always welcome fresh faces in brothels, and hidden villages always need more fresh bodies to do their ninja stuff on.

Gato was the ultimate squatter. He knew there was no local government to stamp out illegal activities, so he took over the fishing settlement with his gang of thugs and declared himself the mayor of this town.

Rin and her family found out about this the first day they moved to Fish Island. Gato was not exactly the subtle type, after all.

They knew they needed to get out of this place as soon as they can; the problem was to do it discreetly. They would love to jump in a boat and sail back to Wave without a backward glance, but they can't without bring suspicion on themselves. Gato and his goons would stop at nothing to silence anyone who might jeopardize their human trafficking ring. It's already bad enough that the entire Fish Island was under Gato's thumb, they really did not want Gato's influence extend to Wave if they could help it.

Naruto proposed 'Operation Whirlpool'.

The purpose of this operation was twofold: one, they needed to escape; two, if possible, they wanted to bring down Gato's slave trade. For this to work, they worked out three phases for this operation.

Phase 1: Gather information.  
Phase 2: Identify the optimum timing to strike. If there is none, create one.  
Phase 3: Use phase 2 as a distraction and secure an escape route.

Phase 1 was simple. Gato loved to brag. His underlings were even dumber than their leader. They would gamble and drink and fight regularly, and then they would visit Rin's clinic to get patched up, all the while spewing out useful information.

Haku would visit town and chat with townsfolks to get their side of the story. He would also use this opportunities to gather materials in the name of furnishing their new home. Old fishermen were chatty, he found, and they had excellent memory. With the right prompts, they soon doled out the history of Whirlpool Country and its tragic past.

That, and the young orphan girl working in the local grocery store had the hots for him. Haku was pretty sure the Karin girl had cooties, but since he was working like a serious shinobi for this important operation, he put up with the seven-year-old and let her talk his ears off. As long as the redhead didn't try to kiss him and spread cooties, he could tolerate her.

Naruto had excellent night vision and he was more proficient at wilderness survival than Haku did, so the task to map out the island for potential escape route fell on him. Kimimaro was also familiar with the woods so he volunteered to help him out.

Naruto soon found out that Kimimaro was really, really fast and really, really strong. There was no doubt in his mind that the white-haired boy would be a deadlier ninja than Rin in a couple years, if not already. When he brought up this observation to Kimimaro, the response was not what he expected.

"I was raised as a tool, and I was used as such. My existence has no other purpose."

Naruto stared at the older boy like he was crazy. "And you're happy with that?" He asked.

Kimimaro stared back, completely puzzled by this question. How was his happiness had to do with anything?

"Look, I have no idea how you were raised, and frankly, I don't think I care. I don't really understand existence and purpose and all that serious stuff, but I do understand what it means to be happy. Before I met Rin, I was miserable; after she became my mom, I was happy. Before Haku met us, he was sad; after he became my brother, he was much happier. It's simple. Do yourself a favor and find people who would make you happy. Maybe then you'll find your purpose."

Kimimaro decided to be Naruto's new brother.

* * *

A/N: Yes, it's that Karin. And no, she did not have cooties.


	3. Clan

Chapter 3: Clan

There were so many different ways to topple Gato and his thugs, Rin and her kids were having trouble picking out the best one. They could slip into Gato's hideout and slit his throat in the middle of the night (Kimimaro's idea), blackmail him into leaving Fish Island (Rin's idea), or poison him and his whole gang (Haku's idea, which earned him a strange looks from Kimimaro).

None of those proposals, however, address the issue of power vacuum afterward. Once Gato was gone, someone else equally crooked would fill right in and start the cycle of abuse all over again.

During their discussion, one interesting point was raised - other than Gato, who benefited the most from this human trafficking ring? The answer was simple; it's Kumo. Who was Kumo's most bitter rival in recent history? It's Konoha.

If they can engineer a situation where Konoha was forced to step in and obliterate Gato's operation, it would be perfect. Due to the peace treaty between Kumo and Konoha, Konoha would not be able to adopt this illegal activity to benefit themselves at the cost of Kumo. Any other hidden villages would be able to take over Gato's operation and get away with it, but not Konoha. The most Konoha could do was to destroy the human trafficking ring and prevent similar situation from happening again to deny Kumo power.

Exactly what they needed.

Naruto's idea of bringing in the cavalry was elegant. Potentially risky if they were unlucky, but absolutely brilliant.

Haku snuck out to Wave one night and paid Tazuna family a visit with a package from Rin.

"Please request a formal mission from Konoha. There is enough ryo in here to cover a B rank mission. It's of utmost importance that no one mentions anything about our family. No name, no description, not even our relationship. Our safety depends on this." Haku bowed and handed a package to Tazuna.

Tazuna nodded gravely and accepted the item.

"This one is for you." Haku took out a scroll and handed it to the carpenter. "There are detailed accounts of why we are doing this and what you should expect. Please read it as soon as you can and pass this information to your most trusted friends. We really can't have our names link us back here. Tell everyone you named the bride after fishcake or something. I apologize for my family for imposing this on you..."

Tazuna raised a hand to stop the young boy. "That's enough. Please don't apologize. This is the least we can do."

Haku bowed deeply for the last time before disappearing into the night.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Haku passed on Rin's instruction to Tazuna. This morning, a fisherman from Wave passed them a message from their favorite carpenter - a team of Konoha shinobi would arrive in Wave in two days.

Phase two and three were on standby. They would board a boat and head north for Hotspring Country the night before Konoha shinobi arrive on Fish Island.

With only two days left on Fish Island, the kids decided to explore the haunted ruin of Uzushio for fun.

Naruto carefully examined the symbols carved on broken pillars surrounding a weed-infested courtyard and took notes in a scroll. The same pattern of swirls, large and small, had been sighted repeatedly in the ruin of Uzushio. Earlier this day he climbed to the tallest point of this island and confirmed that the entire ruin of Uzushio was laid out in a giant swirl. Right now he was standing in the very center of the giant swirl and staring at a smaller swirl carved into the ancient stone block situated in the middle of the courtyard like a sundial.

Naruto rubbed his temples and decided that the distinct Uzumaki Clan must really liked their name sake. Looking at them all day was giving him a headache.

"You alright there?" His brother Haku asked, slightly concerned with how quiet Naruto seemed.

"Yeah, just a little tired."

Feeling slightly nauseous, the blond boy sat down on the ground and leaned back against the carved stone. He closed his eyes and started counting his breaths. Rin told him before that meditation was not only a great chakra control exercise, it also provided minor healing benefits by synchronizing one's body and spirit. A small headache should go away after a few minutes of meditation.

The red-headed tag-along piped up, "maybe it's this place. It's haunted, I told you." Karin looked around nervously, watching for monsters to jump out at her. "My mom used to say this place is cursed. She was totally against us moving back here. My dad insisted that we should live in this dingy town, Kami knows why. And then they both died one month after we moved here. I'm begging you, can we please just leave now? Before some ghosts eat us?"

"There is no such thing as ghost." Kimimaro deadpanned.

Karin scowled at him. "Fine. Don't believe me. Just remember I'll be the one saying 'I told you so' when we are being eaten."

Haku fought the urge to roll his eyes at the redhead's antic. "Nothing is going to eat us..." His reply was cut short when he noticed Naruto's body suddenly went rigid and then completely went limp.

Kimimaro beat Haku by a fraction of a second and caught the blond before his head hit the ground. "Naruto! What's wrong? Wake up!" He slapped his new brother's whiskered cheeks urgently. There was no response.

Haku spun around and saw Karin dropped to the ground in fetal position with an inhuman shriek. The girl was wide-eyed in shock and foaming at the mouth. He took out a senbon from his sleeve and stab Karin in a pressure point in the neck to knock her out before she hurt herself. "Something is very wrong. We need to take them home now." Haku said urgently and picked up the girl.

Kimimaro picked up Naruto gently and sprinted as fast as he could.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes to complete darkness.

There was something else there, in the dark, waiting. Naruto knew _it _had many, many teeth.

_It _wanted to eat him.

"**Uzumaki...**" The thing growled menacingly. Two red eyes lit up in the dark and lunged at him. Luckily, the thing's sharp claws were held back by crisscrossing bars with loud screeching noises before it could harm him.

Naruto stared back at the beast mutely; his body frozen in shock. This beast, his worst memory, was real.

"**This place. It reeks! Uzumaki!**" The thing (with teeth and claws and tails and eyes of blood) roared.

"Shut up!"

The beast growled.

Naruto shot to his feet and yelled at his nightmare in defiance, even though his heart was thumping like a stampede in his chest. "You stinking furball! I said shut up! You don't scare me! You want to eat me? You can't even get out of this cage!"

The beast snapped and clawed at the cage furiously. "**I WILL DEVOUR YOU!**" It screamed

"YOU WILL DEVOUR YOUR OWN HAIRBALL AND CHOKE ON IT!" Naruto screamed back.

"**UZUMAKI!**"

"That's it! I told you to shut up! Now you deserve the Cone of Shame!" The blond boy pointed at the beast in a stabbing motion. All of a sudden, tendrils of blue chakra shot out of his finger and formed a large cone-shaped collar around the beast's neck.

The beast let out a screech of pure shock as the chakra collar extend forward and covered its head like a lamp cover. The look on its face could only be described as comical. "**What have you done?**" It roared murderously. Its jaw snapped, its claws swiped, its tails swished uselessly at the Cone of Shame without damaging it the least.

"Mom told me, the only way to face my fear is to conquer it. Mom is always right, of course. You are not scary at all." Naruto tilted his head as he observed his childhood nightmare struggling futilely against the Cone.

The beast screamed a stream of curses at the boy.

"Hum. Mom will wash your mouth out with soap if she hears you. Do you want me to wash your mouth out?" Naruto threatened.

The beast snarled angrily at the boy, panting from barely restrained rage.

"Good. Now, let's stop with the childish death threats and converse like civilized adult. There is no need to shout. Allow me to start." Naruto sat down and cleared his throat. "Hello, my name is Naruto. Pleasure to meet you. Your turn."

"**GET OUT!**" The beast let out an almighty roar and slammed all nine of its tails on the ground. A wave of red chakra burst out of the cage like a tsunami and blast away the human boy.

* * *

"It will eat us, it will eat us, it will eat us, it will eat us..." Karin had been rocking back and forth in the corner of the room, repeating the same phrase for the past hour.

The unconscious form of Naruto was laying on the bed at the opposite end of the room.

"Hang in there." Rin murmured tirely. Her hands glowed green as she healed Naruto's body. The boy's heart was still beating erratically, and his main chakra coil in his navel was cracking under unknown stress. She had been working for an hour non-stop. It took everything she could to prevent her son from going into cardiac arrest. Now she was running dangerously low on chakra.

Naruto groaned in pain.

"That's it, you can do it." Rin whispered. She was shaking from the exertion.

In the corner, Karin abruptly stopped. "It's asleep." She exclaimed loudly. Her loud voice disrupted the last of Rin's waning concentration. The blind healer gasped weakly and slumped toward the bed. Haku and Kimimaro was fast enough to catch her before she collapsed on top of her patient.

Naruto moaned and opened his eyes. "Everything hurts," he complained weakly. His family ignored his protest and enveloped him in a tight group hug.

"It wants to eat you." Karin stood up shakily. She moved toward the blond with visible hesitation. "It hates us. Uzumaki."

"Let him rest, you crazy redhead, what are you..." Haku scuffed in exasperation.

"Yeah, you are right." Naruto interrupted his brother's rant and replied in a small voice. "It tried to eat me."

* * *

"Why is there a rabbit in my bed?"

After a good night's sleep and a proper dose of nutrient pill, Naruto bounced right back to his energetic self.

OK, so yesterday was weird. The ruin of Uzushio was probably haunted like Karin said, and a nine-tailed furball tried to eat him in his mind. However, that did not mean he expected to wake up to a fluffy brown rabbit sitting in his face, gnawing on his hair.

Haku yawned as he rolled out of bed. "Is that a rabbit? It looks more like a dog to me. Or maybe a cat. I honestly don't know. Anyway, I think the animal has been there since yesterday."

Kimimaro stretched and cracked his joints. "It has long ears, but that is not a rabbit. It's a fox, maybe? It does have a long fluffy tail. That menace hitched a ride when I carried you home yesterday. I almost dropped you when that animal fell out of the sky and landed on your head. It didn't try to eat your face, so I figure it's harmless. Its fur is nice and soft, I can make you a nice scarf out of it, whatever it is."

"Hey! Don't scare him. Of course he is harmless. He is a cute little bunny... Ouch! He bit me!" Naruto retracted his hand back and sucked on his bleeding finger. "OK, so he is not a bunny. Those teeth are sharp!"

Haku plopped back down on the bed and laughed.

Rin opened the bedroom door and greeted her kids. "Morning, boys. Breakfast is ready."

"Mom, can I keep him? Please?"

Rin sighed.

* * *

"Please take me with you."

Everything went perfectly. Rin and her family went about their day like they usually did. They opened the clinic at regular time, they chatted with old folks in town and bartered with grocers, they did their laundry and hanged them out to dry. Rin stopped by Gato's place and checked the status on his broken leg (which was deliberately caused by a trap, but he didn't need to know that); the kids played around on the dock and spent the afternoon fishing. There was absolutely no tell at all. No one should know they were ready to flee that night.

Karin caught them in the middle of the night as they loaded the boat for the trip.

"How did you know?" Kimimaro asked evenly. Two pointy bones protruded out of his wrists and dug painfully against her neck. One wrong word out of her mouth and he would end her.

Karin scrunched up her face as she tried to explained herself. "It's really hard to explain. I just do. I know where you are. I can just, just, feel it. You guys are different. You are... more. I don't know. You are... calm, like a whisper. Come on, I really don't know how to explain it!"

_Natural chakra sensor_, Rin thought to herself. " What else can you tell me?" She asked the girl.

Karin paused for a moment and replied, "they are coming. Not the ones with Gato. Gato's goons feel different. Too small. The new ones are more... ugh, like, mixed up. Loud and hungry. They are coming from two directions, west and southeast. So many of them. They are almost here. I don't want to be here when they come. Please take me with you."

"You can't just run away with us. What about your family and friends?" Naruto asked.

"I don't have any, alright? You people are the only ones I have. Especially you, Uzumaki. There is no one left!" Karin pleaded.

Naruto blinked dumbly. "Oh, so we are Uzumaki?"

"Yes!" Karin replied urgently. "Remember? It hates Uzumaki. It wants to eat us."

"So we are like cousins?"

Karin wanted to slap her forehead in exasperation. "Yes!"

Naruto turned to Rin. "Mom, can we bring her along? Please?"

Rin, Haku, and Kimimaro all sighed.

* * *

The Third Hokage chewed on his pipe absentmindedly as he considered the mission report he just received.

The mission started out as a simple B rank request. An old fisherman living on Fish Island asked his friend in Wave to send in a request to get rid of a local gang of thugs and small time rogue shinobi as his dying wish. When the team got there, they found a full-blown human trafficking ring where Water Country refugees were being smuggled out to Lightning Country. The discovery in itself was not a big deal. It was the political implication behind it that was keeping him up at night.

He could only imagine how pissed off Kumo must be right now that they've lost a reliable way to get bloodline wielders from Kiri to join them.

Kumo was not his only problem either. By sheer coincidence, Kiri sent out a team of hunter nins the same day Konoha shinobi arrived on Fish Island. One could only image how well that worked out. Apparently, Kiri hunter nins were looking for people from a specific clan that participated in a recent revolt against Mizukage.

In short, Kiri blamed Konoha for allowing their target to escape, and for conspiring to aid the opposing faction in Kiri to overthrow Mizukage.

The accusation was not true, of course. They were only saying that to save their own neck for failing at their mission.

Still, now Konoha had to make some grand gesture to show both Kiri and Kumo that its stance was strictly neutral - in other words, Konoha had to spare extra manpower to monitor Fish Island and all its surrounding areas to prevent other human trafficking ring from cropping up in the near future. By doing so, Kumo would be denied more power, and Kiri would have no reason to accuse Konoha of aiding rebels during their civil war.

This B-rank pay would require S-rank resources from Konoha. What a mess.

Hiruzen grimaced when his thought moved on to a related matter. Anko Mitarashi, team lead of this mission, found documents from Gato's hideout confirming that he had been supplying a budding hidden village in Rice Country with a large quantity of bodies - both dead and alive. Worst of all, Gato himself smelt faintly of snake. So maybe it's a blessing in disguise that they managed to dry up Orochimaru's supply of test subjects?

His traitor student must have been busy. He should ask Jiraiya to keep a keen eye on Rice Country from now on.

Thinking about his perverted student, the Third couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. Ever since they lost Naruto, Jiraiya had been working like a man possessed. The Toad Sage poured in all his time and resources he could spare into Lightning Country, all in the name of finding his lost godson. Sometimes he thought Jiraiya was trying to make up for his past mistake, but most of the time he was sure Jiraiya was punishing himself for not being by Naruto's side when he needed it the most.

The aging Hokage wondered not for the first time if they pay people enough to be shinobi. Take his team for example - his most favored student turned out to be a tratious megalomaniac, and his other two equally talented students went on a self-imposed exile because of broken hearts. This dangerous vocation had a track record of chewing good people up and then spit them out all mangled, both body and soul.

A knock on the door stirred him out of his dark musings

"Come in."

Hiruzen put down his pipe as his new ANBU captain reported in for the night. The weasel mask covered his face perfectly, but his black hair and small build easily gave away his real identity - not that it's a secret amongst Konoha's shinobi rank.

"Hokage-sama, we have a problem."

It's going to be a long, sleepless night.

* * *

Karin studied her new guardian's face with open curiosity.

This blind, scarred woman couldn't be older than twenty-five, yet she was taking care of a ragtag bunch of orphans all on her own. How she even managed that when she was obviously blind was a complete mystery.

Rin, no last name, was a beautiful woman, disfiguring scars on her forehead and all. Her warm brown eyes, even though they were dim from blindness, reminded her acutely of cat. The serene and graceful way she carried herself gave her an air of confidence, despite her handicap. Her most defining feature, the two purple rectangular tattoos on her cheeks, was very exotic. Yet the short brown hair framing her heart-shaped face softened her striking look considerably.

Karin considered tattooing one's face to be a poor fashion statement, but to each their own.

"Hey, Rin-san, why did you tattoo your face? Is it like a clan marking?" After staring at those markings all day, she just had to ask.

Her guardian paused her current task of grinding up dry herbs and turned to face the inquisitive girl. "Interesting question. I don't know. Honestly, I'm not aware I have any markings on my face until now. Good to know. I should probably wear something to cover them up." She said and continued her work.

Karin's jaw dropped open. "What? How can you not know you have tattoos on your face?"

Rin shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm blind."

"Still, you should know."

Her cousin Naruto rolled his eyes and quipped, "Lay off, sis. Mom was badly injured a while ago. She lost her memory. It's not like she can feel the tattoo on her face or anything. She didn't know because no one thought it's a big deal so no one mentioned it to her. It's not uncommon. See, I have whisker birthmarks on my cheeks and Kimimaro has those clan tattoos on his forehead."

Karin hummed thoughtfully and asked Rin to clarify, "alright, so they are not a big deal. Then why would you want to cover them up? They're pretty and they suit you."

Rin chuckled. "Thank you. You are flattering me. As to why, it's because of my shinobi training."

Karin blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Alright, let's start from the beginning. Imagine you are a trained kunoichi; you are injured, you can't remember anything. What would you do?"

"Seek help, of course."

"Seek help from whom?" Rin prodded.

"Hospital?" Karin answered lamely. She was starting to get it.

"So an injured ninja shows up in a hospital, do you think people would just help that person? No. they would want to know if the shinobi is an enemy or an ally. The first thing people would want to know is who you are and where you are from. If you can't answer that simple question, then you are in deep trouble. If you are an enemy, your fate will be torture and interrogation. Even if you look like an ally, they will still suspect you to be a spy, or that you are a sleeper agent subjected to brainwashing genjutsu. Simply put, they can't trust you. Since they can't trust you..."

"... Your fate will still be torture and interrogation." Karin finished it succinctly. "It sucks."

"That's right. Do you understand it now?"

Karin nodded subduedly. "The safest thing to do is to hide your identity and pretend to be a civilian. That's why you want to cover up your tattoo. It's too distinct."

"Exactly."

The redhead frowned slightly as she mulled over this new information. After a few minutes, she spoke again. "I still don't quite get it. If you are trying to blend in as civilians, then why are you all training so hard to be ninjas anyway?"

Rin put down the pestle in her hand. Haku paused midway through a taijutsu routine on the surface of the small river next to their camp. Kimimaro stopped spinning multiple kunais with the tip of his fingers and let them drop to the ground. Naruto did a backflip from the tree branch he had been walking upside down on and landed silently in front of Karin.

"Well, because it's fun." The blond said simply. "For me, anyway."

Haku added, "I need to control my bloodline limit so I don't hurt people by accident."

"It puts food on the table, literally. Traps are useful. I can also sell medicine and work as a healer. It pays well, too." Rin said.

Kimimaro shrugged. "A half-trained ninja is a dead ninja."

"What about me? Why do I have to practice?" Karin asked as she struggled to keep the leaf on her forehead from wobbling.

"You have a rare talent." Rin answered. "It's a crime not to train you. Do you know how rare it is to be a natural chakra sensor of your caliber? People would kill to have your gift."

"Really?" The girl asked dubiously, feeling oddly proud of herself. Here she was, in front of people who could perform miraculous feats like walking upside down like a bat or strolling casually on the surface of water, and they thought she was talented? That's pretty cool.

"Really. Plus, it's always a good idea to know how to defend yourself. You can never be too prepared." Her guardian said.

"So..." Karin had an inspiration. "Basically, we are like a clan of ninjas in disguise, right?"

"Yes? I suppose you could say that." Rin answered unsurely.

"We should totally have an official clan name and clan symbol. I mean, there are five of us and five different hair colors. It's obvious we look too different to be related." Karin chewed over her thoughts, trying hard to articulate her thoughts. "Nonetheless, we are together as a family, so..." She stopped mid-sentence when she realized everyone was staring at her. The blush on her face was scalding.

"That's an awesome idea, sis!" Naruto exclaimed in wonder. "Think about it. We can name our own clan! We can call ourselves something cool like 'the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Clan' or 'the Rock 'n' Roll Clan'. We'll be badass!"

"No!" Everyone immediately nipped that idea in the bud before it could go anywhere.

"Hey, I have good naming sense." Naruto protested.

Kimimaro gave him a blank look. "You named your pet dog 'Fluffy'."

"Because he is fluffy. Duh." The blond replied and rubbed his pet affectionately with his cheek. "And he is not a dog. He is a rabbit-dog-fox-cat. Just look at him. He is so soft and cute and cuddly."

Said rabbit-dog-fox-cat started chewing on one end of Naruto's eyebrows.

"Anyway," Rin steered the conversation back. "The name has to be simple and inconspicuous. It should fit us all and be plain enough at the same time. We are trying to blend in as civilians, remember? It would be completely counterproductive if we call ourselves 'the Awesome Fighting Ninja Clan' or something equally silly."

"I resent that."

Everyone chose to ignore Naruto's protest.

"We are moving around a lot, so the best disguise for us is a family of travelling traders or something similar. How about 'the Nomad Clan'? It's simple and it fits our cover." Haku suggested.

Karin approved heartily. "It'll work. I like it. As for clan mark, we can just combine the purple rectangle mark on Rin-san with the two red circles on Kimimaro, and voila!" She drew the symbol on a piece of blank scroll for the rest to see. The result looked like a wagon with a purple carriage and two red wheels.

Naruto sulked for a minute and finally conceded. "OK, you win. You have better naming sense than I do."

"Of course I do, little brother. Now we just need to find ourselves a merchant's wagon and we'll be all set. Those of you who agree, say 'aye'."

"Aye!"

* * *

A/N: Kiri hunter nins were looking for survivors of Kaguya Clan (Kimimaro), but the Third Hokage did not know the specifics.


	4. School

Chapter 4: School

Every member of the Nomads Clan worked hard to make money so they can buy a wagon. In their minds, the wagon was not just a convincing prop for their disguise as civilian traders, but a symbol of their familial bonds.

It was no surprise Rin made good money as a healer in town. Her skills in subtle use of medical ninjutsu was highly valued anywhere. Haku, and surprisingly Karin, absorbed Rin's lectures on herbology like fish take to water. The two of them did well supplying high quality herbs and medicines to local clinics. Kimimaro's superior shinobi training made him an excellent hunter. The money he made from selling rare pelts and game meats contributed significantly to their cause.

Naruto's unique skill, however, was baffling even to his families. The blond boy could not only trap live animals, but tame them afterward. Rin had to make a judgement call and stopped Naruto from taming wild bears in hopes of selling them to a circus. They did not need the extra attention at all. Naruto had to limit his targets to low profile animals like deers and birds.

After many months of hard work, they finally saved enough money to buy a draft horse in Fire Country as well as commission a custom-built wagon from their old friend Tazuna in Wave. The carpenter was happy to see them, but he left them with a warning - Konoha ninjas were in town a lot, and they were asking too many uncomfortable questions.

The Nomads took his warning to heart. They decided to avoid visiting Wave for a while and limited their communication with Tazuna's family through messenger birds only. Tazuna's grandson Inari was particularly unhappy about the setup, but it was the best they could do under the circumstances.

Their new wagon provided the Nomads with an excellent cover. They could easily cross borders and visit various settlements with minimal hassles. Eventually they were able to arrange meetings via messenger birds with Tazuna's family in various prime tourist spots all over Elemental Continents. The two families put in good effort to stay in touch.

On a side note, Tazuna's daughter Tsunami recently remarried. She and her new husband Kaiza started a business selling fishcake near the Great Naruto Bridge. It started out as a good cover story to stop people from connecting the name of the bridge to the young blond child, imagine their surprise when the business became a wild success nobody had anticipated. Now the Spiralling Fishcake (which shaped exactly like the Great Naruto Bridge) was known as the specialty food for Wave Country every tourist must have.

* * *

"Ugh! This is not working!" Naruto growled in frustration before collapsing on the ground. The twenty-four clones he produced wavered and disappeared around him. His pet rabbit-dog-fox-cat Fluffy hopped down from atop his head and wandered toward a wild berry bush nearby to sniff at a vole nest.

Haku shook his head. "Same problem again, little brother. You need to use less chakra. I only asked for one clone."

The blond boy sat up and wailed. "I just can't! That's the smallest amount I can produce. It actually hurts when I try to squeeze the chakra output down so much. I don't understand. I can do substitution and transformation just fine, why can't i make a simple clone? Everytime I try to make one, twenty of them pop out."

"Only you, little brother. You are a chakra monster." The raven-haired boy sighed and mussed up Naruto's unruly hair. "Better chakra control should fix it. You need better control otherwise you can't learn medical jutsu later on." He slammed his hands to the ground and produced a two-story tall ice arch without using any hand seals.

Naruto pouted and resigned to his fate. He ice-climbed up from the underside of the arch and stood still at the peak, hanging upside down with only the the sole of his feet sticking to the slippery surface. "Ready." He said, his stance relaxed and his eyes closed.

With the cue, Haku started flinging ice marbles at his younger brother. "Dodge with your whole body. Only use your hands to block if you can't avoid being hit. You should feel the projectiles as soon as they enter your sphere of influence."

Naruto visibly struggled to keep his feet planted on the ice while maintaining a stable amount of chakra around his body.

"Try to expel an even amount of chakra. It's fluctuating too much. I can feel it from over here." Karin poked her head out from the wagon and added.

Naruto blew a loud raspberry at his sister. The distraction earned him a clean hit between the eyes.

The redhead laughed at his predicament and went back to her task.

Inside the wagon, Kimimaro was sitting on the small bed. Karin was preparing a herbal mixture on the workstation next to him. "They are having too much fun. I hope they'll be quiet and let you sleep."

"It's alright, I'm not really tired." Kimimaro replied.

"Of course you're not." Karin rolled her eyes and handed him a cup of foul-smelling liquid. "Drink." She ordered.

Kimimaro winced and downed the medication without making a fuss. His pale face was turning slightly green from the taste. The thing tasted even worse than it smelt.

Karin showed no sympathy. "Next time you feel like defying Rin-san's order and use your bloodline limit for more than thirty minutes a day, I'll make sure your medication taste like shoe polish."

The horror on Kimimaro's face make the redhead cackle in sadistic satisfaction.

Listening to the ruckus around her, Rin smiled to herself as she tended to the cooking fire. Not for the last time, she thanked Kami for bringing those kids to her life. They were good kids. The best she could ever hope for.

Naruto, being the youngest, had been with her the longest. The seven-year-old was like a miniature sun, a ball of never-ending warmth and energy. His natural talent of befriending people was the glue that held their family together. Naruto's love for shinobi training was borderline obsessive. Rin speculated it was due to his inhuman stamina and chakra capacity that the hyperactive boy was compelled to be active all the time.

Haku was the very definition of a devoted brother. The effeminate boy always catered to Naruto's quirk and helped him train as much as he could. Rin suspected Haku would not have advanced his own training half as much without Naruto's urging.

"Keep your feet planted! It's ok to get hit, it'll hurt you more if you fall down from that height." Rin chuckled when she heard Haku giving instruction while launching more projectiles at his younger brother. She knew the boy would catch Naruto if he fell.

Kimimaro was a little difficult to read at first, but after spending some time with the boy, Rin could tell the introvert youth was opening up to his siblings. Whoever raised the boy did a terrible job, in her opinion. What kind of monsters would lock a child in a cellar and raise him to be a weapon? When she first took Kimimaro under her wing, she was outraged to learn that the boy practically knew no enjoyment of life. Rin still remembered the bone-crushing hug she received when she agreed to keep a potted plant of no practical use in the wagon. "Because it's pretty," Kimimaro had shyly admitted to her. Rin was more than happy to indulge him.

Karin's blunt personality allowed her to fit into the group seamlessly. Maybe it's because Rin was the only adult in the group, the young girl really looked up to her and made it her mission to keep her siblings in line. The girl would boss Kimimaro around without being deterred by his stoic appearance and fight with Naruto like a real sister. Her not-so-secret crush on Haku was also pretty hilarious, but she wasn't going to comment on it.

* * *

After dinner, the Nomads sat around the campfire and enjoyed each other's company. They have been travelling across Fire Country to get to Grass Country for the past few months. Since they were wary of Konoha ninja's snooping in Wave, they decided to travel through rural areas and avoid large cities.

The white-haired boy's bloodline limit, Kaguya Clan's Dead Bone Pulse, enabled him to manipulate bones by infusing his chakra with calcium throughout his body. The rapid bone growth could even protrude out of his skin so he could use them as weapons or as a layer of super dense armor. This seemly miraculous bloodline limit, however, came with a steep price. To maintain his body's integrity, Kimimaro not only had to ingest an obscene amount of calcium to support bone growth, he also had to deal with the neurotoxin his body produced. Every time he used his bloodline limit to manipulate bones, his body would naturally produce a potent neurotoxin as a byproduct to numb pain and stimulate healing. If he used this ability for an extended period of time, his body could not produce enough enzyme to break down the neurotoxin.

In short, if Kimimaro kept using his bloodline limit for an extended period of time, he would die an excruciating death before he turned twenty.

Their current solution was to forbid Kimimaro from using his ability recklessly. Also, just to be safe, they forced him to drink a foul concoction that could break down the neurotoxin lingering in his body. So far their method was working, but they were running low on a few key ingredients for the medicine. They could obtain those ingredients for an outrageous price, but they decided it's easier if they just go to Grass Country and gather raw ingredients themselves.

"Alright, kids. Tomorrow we will cross the border and enter Grass Country. We need to make a shopping list. Kimimaro, please write this down." Rin instructed. "First, we'll need to look for Yellow-tipped Pepper, Blue Winter Grass, and Coral Vine. They are all native to Grass Country. If we find them in the wild, we should collect seeds and cuttings so we can grow them ourselves. We should be able to find dried ingredients in town as well. Be careful when you walk through tall grass. There are lots of snakes in Grass Country. Is there anything else we need?"

Naruto raised his hand, "we should keep a couple Purple Diamond-backs if we see them. We can use the snake venom to make an all-purpose antidote. Oh, and if we come across a bamboo field, we should catch a couple Green Lady as well."

"Good idea. Haku, please give Naruto a hand when he sees them. The snakes would be very easy to catch using ice." Rin approved. "Anything else?"

"We should collect a few Silver Weaver Spiders. The price for Silver Silk is grossly inflated in Fire Country. Our supply of ninja wire is down to ten feet, and the cheapest way is to make our own." Kimimaro suggested.

"We most definitely need new knives and a new batch of kunai, shuriken, and senbon. The old ones are falling apart." Karin said.

Rin winced. Their supply of sharp, pointy ninja tools were all salvaged from old shinobi battlefields. They took excellent care of their tools, but natural wear and tear was unavoidable. They had been using Haku's own ice duplicate for a while, but it was never quite the same. For one thing, the weight of the tool was off. Ice senbon was serviceable, but ice shuriken and ice kunai lacked the oomph behind the punch due to the weight reduction. "We'll need to find a blacksmith who doesn't ask questions. It might take a while, but we can stock up when we find one."

"Speaking of blacksmith, Giant needs new shoes, too." Naruto said. Taking care of their draft horse 'Giant' was his responsibility.

"That one should be easy. We'll do that as soon as we hit town." Rin said.

"When we are in town, maybe we can buy new clothes. The old ones are getting really ratty. There is only so much I can mend." Karin asked.

Rin agreed wholeheartedly. "From the way we train, I'm more surprised we don't need new clothes more often."

"We'll also need a new dictionary. The old one was... well... Fluffy ate it." Naruto admitted guiltily.

Rin's eyebrows twitched. "Did Fluffy eat the history books, math books, and science books?"

"No! Not those. Just the dictionary. It was an accident, really." Naruto quickly denied, sweating a little from his mother's tone.

"Good. We'll buy a new dictionary, ink, brushes, and blank scrolls. I want you all to practice calligraphy, I need you all to be prepared. Even though I can't teach you Sealing, it's one of the most important skill any shinobi should know. It's also one of the most guarded skill in all Elemental Countries, so it's virtually impossible to find any books about Sealing in a common bookstore. The art of Sealing is usually taught through apprenticeship, or sometimes passed down within the clan. Unfortunately, I do not have any talent regarding this discipline so I can't teach you anything other than calligraphy. The best seal I can make is the most basic storage seal. I can't even do that much now that I'm blind."

Naruto wanted Rin to elaborate. "What does calligraphy have to do with Sealing? If we need steady hands, wouldn't painting or knitting help?"

Rin smiled at the blond boy's direction. It was a good question. "True, calligraphy is basically stylized writing. Essentially it's about drawing symbols by using ink as a medium. However, a large part of Sealing is about constructing a seal by building a detailed command array, or designing a counter-seal by decoding a compressed matrix. Practicing calligraphy would enhance your ability to identify subtle variances in the function lines, so you can make a seal more effective."

Rin could tell Naruto had blanked out mid-way through her explanation, so she decided to change the topic. "Enough on that, there is another reason why I want to get more stationaries. I plan to stock up during harvest season and rent a place in town for the winter. You will all be enrolled in a winter school this year. I expect you all to do well. Treat this like a four-month undercover assignment to blend in as civilians while gathering critical information."

Naruto's blue eyes were sparkling in anticipation for his first shinobi mission. "Wow, an undercover assignment. That's totally badass."

Rin grinned at his reaction. It was exactly what she wanted. Naruto's response would be completely different if she had said 'you are all going to be stuck in school for the whole winter and be bored out of your mind'.

* * *

_Konoha Ninja Academy, seven years after Kyuubi's defeat_

Hinata Hyuga observed her classmates discreetly.

There were forty-one students in this class. Counting herself, there were seven people from Konoha's major clans - Hyuga, Aburame, Akimichi, Uchiha, Inuzuka, Nara, and Yamanaka. The rest were from minor clans and civilian families.

Hinata understood her interaction with people her age was very limited due to her status as the Hyuga clan heir. She would even go out of her way and admit she was largely ignorant of how her peers usually behave.

Hinata could not rationalize her classmates' behaviors.

Take Sakura Haruno, for example; the pink-haired girl was best friend with Ino Yamanaka since before they enrolled in the Academy. If her hypothesis was correct, she would say Sakura was secretly harboring a crush on Ino for the longest time. And now? After the Uchiha Massacre, Sakura pulled a one-eighty and suddenly declared herself to be Ino's rival over the last Uchiha's affection.

They were seven years old, for crying out loud! Why anyone would want to have a romantic interest at this age was completely beyond her. Some of them probably still wet their beds at night. Shouldn't that be a more pressing issue?

Strangely enough, even though none of them hit puberty yet, there were more girls in her class who would fawn over the last Uchiha than those who wouldn't.

Besides, why would people throw themselves at a boy who didn't deserve the attention? She couldn't comprehend the logic there.

Maybe it was her pride as a Hyuga speaking, but Hinata honestly could not see the attraction. As a Hyuga, she may be guilty of being emotionally repressed, but the Uchiha boy was downright sullen. True, he had a tragic past, but it didn't give him the right to treat everyone like garbage. Did he not understand the difference between pride and arrogance? Would it kill him to be nice to people once in awhile? Why would her classmates find this cold and snobbish boy charming? Were they masochistic?

Hinata sincerely wished whoever she ended up falling for (after she hit puberty, hopefully), would be someone deserving of her love - someone who would inspire her to be a better person.

Also, that person had to have nerves of steel to stand up to her father's most severe Hyuga Glare (TM). So far, she had yet to see anyone with such potential.

It hardly mattered, anyway. Her current duty was to be a strong clan heir in her father's eyes, an inspiring role model in her sister's eyes, and a respectable future leader in her uncle's and cousin's eyes. Hinata's ultimate goal in life was to dissolve the gulf separating the two branches in her clan. But first, she would strive to be a person worthy of the protection from the cadete members.

What better way to show it than to take the title of the Rookie of the year from the last Uchiha's grasp?

… But seriously, what's so attractive about a seven-year-old boy who may or may not be still wetting his bed?

With a fine shudder, Hinata decided not to think about it anymore.

* * *

The Nomads had a great time in Grass Country. By the end of harvest season, their wagon was filled to the brim with goods, and they had more than enough money to settle down for the winter. After visiting a dozen settlements in Grass, they finally rented a place at the outskirt of Hemp town by the first snowfall.

Naruto quickly found out that he had been duped by Rin's pretty words two days into winter school. By the end of the first week, he was practically a braindead mess. He couldn't figure out why the teacher insisted on treating them all like morons. His best guess was because all his classmates (not counting his siblings) were indeed morons, therefore the teacher had to lower his standard to suit them.

Seriously. If 'I'm a little bird, fly, fly, fly' was the extent of this school's literature and science curriculum, then he was doomed.

The winter school was so small, they only had one class of thirty students plus one teacher (a senile old man named Aoki). Students in the class ranged from seven-year-old (Naruto himself) to thirteen-year-old. It was torture enough for him to stay awake during class, worse still, the thirteen-year-old class bully (who happened to be the teacher's grandson Akagi) decided to pick on him during recess.

The first time Akagi attempted to hit him, he had to physically restrain his siblings from killing the hapless oaf. Their mission required them to maintain civilian cover, and punching someone's nose in over a playground scuffle just wouldn't do.

They were ninjas. They knew how to be subtle, so they started pranking the bully's brain out.

Every time the oaf tried to hit him, Naruto would put itching powder down Akagi's pants. Every time the bully stole his lunch, the food would be laced with laxative.

The best part was, the bully was too stupid to figure out the correlation sooner, so their fun lasted for a good two months until Akagi decided school was for losers and dropped out altogether.

Came new year, something interesting finally happened. There was a festival at the local temple on new year's eve. Rin took them to the festival and gave them each a red envelope filled with ryo notes. "Kimimaro, you go with Naruto. Haku, you go with Karin. Stay close, and don't spend all your money on sweets. Meet me at the temple by midnight. We'll watch the firework together. now go have a good time."

Naruto was almost hyperventilating. For the first time in his life, he was told to spend money on toys and sweets with no adult supervision. Kimimaro was even more lost. He had no idea what exactly he should do to properly enjoy himself in this situation. They decided to visit all the booths and maybe they would have a better idea by the end of the night.

Their good mood was soured when Akagi and his gang of delinquents cornered them near a dark alley.

"No one is here to save you now, midget." Akagi cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Hand over your money. If you cooperate, maybe I won't mess you up too bad. I'm hoping you won't so I can have more fun with you."

At this point, Naruto was shaking from exerting considerable self-restraint. Unfortunately his effort to rein in his temper was interpreted by the bully as fear.

"Afraid now? Scaredy cat. Are you gonna cry?" The bully taunted. Behind him, his lackeys howled with laughter.

Knowing that his younger brother was too mad to say anything, Kimimaro put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and said in a low voice. "Akagi-san, could you please consider letting us go? We won't tell the adults about this. There is no need for violence."

"No need for violence? Ahahaha!" Akagi slapped the side of Naruto's head and shoved Kimimaro back with a meaty hand. The two shinobi-in-training resisted the instinctive use of chakra and allowed the bully to rough them up. After knocking them around for a few minutes, Akagi reached into Naruto's shirt and pulled out the red envelope Rin gave him for the festival. "You losers are weak. Now scram. I'm sick of looking at your ugly faces." Giving the blond boy one last punch in the stomach, Akagi and his goons finally left them alone.

After the gang left, Kimimaro straightened up and tenderly wiped Naruto's dirt-stained face with his sleeve. "You alright there? Here, take this. We can share." He took out his own allowance and tucked the envelope in Naruto's pocket. "Let's go back to the festival. I think I saw a ramen stand somewhere." The white-haired boy held on to his brother's hand and led him toward the crowd.

Naruto was pissed off. How he wished he could fight back, or at least stand up to himself. Undercover assignment sucked. He could kick around the bully six ways to Sunday with just his left pinky, but he was not allowed to. It was simply infuriating.

His pent-up anger finally exploded when he felt a daft hand trying to pick his pocket. He was robbed once that night, he would not tolerate thievery again! With a low snarl, Naruto snatched up the thief's offending limb and yanked the criminal out of the crowd.

Much to his horror, the pickpocket cried out in agony. The arm he was grabbing snapped like a twig as the bones underneath broke in several places. The red envelope Kimimaro gave him earlier fell limply out of the person's hand but Naruto was too distraught to notice.

The thief was just a child - a dirty, skinny girl about the same age as him. Naruto let go of the broken arm like it burnt him and took a hurried step back, terrified.

Kimimaro reacted in an instant. Before the crowd realized what was going on, he scooped up both Naruto and the injured kid and body-flickered away.

* * *

Later that night, Rin found Naruto hiding on the roof of the house. Her youngest son was hugging his knees, his face wet with tears.

Rin sat down next to the boy. "She is asleep. It was a clean break. With regular medical jutsu treatment, it would heal back to normal in a week."

Naruto was silent.

"So what did you learn?" Rin asked. Her tone was absent of blame.

Naruto whimpered. "I hurt people. I'm a monster."

"No!" Rin quickly chided. "No, you're not. Wrong answer. Try again."

"I... I need to watch my temper." The boy said in a small voice.

"Yes. What else?"

Naruto replied quickly, "I need to be more patient."

"And?"

"And... I don't like bullies." Naruto admitted.

Rin reached over and gave the boy a hug. "Naruto, learn from your mistake. Never forget that you are a ninja. You are trained to be stronger and faster than normal civilians. I could quote words of wisdom like 'with great power, comes great responsibilities' until the cows come home, but that wouldn't make a difference. Refresh my memory. Tell me why you are training so hard to be a ninja."

"Training is fun... at least that's what I thought in the beginning. Now I want to have power to protect myself and my family." Naruto answered.

"You regret hurting that girl, is that correct?" Rin asked, despite knowing the answer already.

Naruto nodded firmly. "Yes, I regret it very much. I wish I could take it all back."

"If you didn't mean to hurt her, then why did you do it in the first place?"

"I don't know. I just... lost control. I was angry and frustrated, so I lashed out." Naruto moaned, pulling on his short hair as he relived the incident in his mind.

Rin sighed. "Kimimaro already told me. I'm sorry this happened. You know, kiddo, next time just walk away. Remember the lesson I gave you about dodging exercise?"

"Yes," Naruto answered, "the best way to avoid being hit is to not be there."

"Exactly. The same could be applied in this situation. The best way to avoid a fight is to walk away."

Naruto considered his mother's advice and saw the wisdom behind her words. "Mom, I don't want this to happen again. I want to learn control. I hate it when I get mad."

Rin kissed the top of her son's head. "You're a good boy, Naruto. You do realize you're much too young to master your emotions, right? It takes a lifetime to achieve that level of enlightenment."

"Then so be it. I don't care how long it takes, I know it'll be worth it. I don't want to lose myself in rage again. What if next time I snap and hurt you? I'll never forgive myself."

Rin smiled. Her boy made her proud to be his mother. "That's very mature of you." She commented.

Naruto didn't answer. He buried his face in Rin's embrace and relaxed. It's been a very long night. He could hardly keep his eyes open. "I need to apologize to her." He said, his voice slightly muffled from the hug.

"Do it tomorrow. Now it's time for bed."

* * *

A/N: Hinata was more confident in this story because her home life was much better than in canon. Hizashi was still alive, so Hiashi didn't feel the need to mistreat Hinata out of guilt. Messed up, I know.


	5. Whereabouts

Chapter 5: Whereabouts

Once again, Naruto willingly plunged into the depth of his mind and appeared in front of the caged creature.

The place that held the cage was almost as dark as last time. The beast inside had its eyes closed. Naruto was actually more surprised to see the Cone of Shame still fixed on its neck than seeing the beast sleeping. After a moment of hesitation, Naruto raised a hand and willed the blue chakra collar to unravel.

The creature was awake in an instant. "You!" It growled, but did not attempt to attack this time.

Naruto gave it a jaunty wave and sat down on the damp floor. "Hello. Did you miss me."

"What do you want?" The beast asked in an even voice.

Naruto shrugged. "Just saying hi. And maybe to apologize. I didn't know the collar thing would stay on for so long."

The beast regarded the human child with an unreadable gaze. " I've had worse." It stated simply.

"Oh." Naruto replied.

The two of them let the awkward silence drag on for a while.

"Why are you here?" It finally asked. Its past jailers never visited him unless they wanted its chakra. "Do you need something from me? My chakra, perhapse?"

"Not really. I already have too much chakra. Why would I need more?" Naruto regarded the creature behind the cage with some sympathy and explained in details, "I'm here because I thought you would like the company. I've been going through an undercover mission. Mom said it's good practice. So my siblings and I went to this civilian school. It's so boring. And then there is this bully at school who would hit me and take my food all the time..."

"Is that what you need me for? To torture me with the all the boring details of your mundane life?" The beast snarled angrily at the blond child.

Naruto frowned at the beast. "Of course not. Why would I want to torture you?"

"Then what's your point? Just get on with it." It snapped, losing its patience.

"My point is, recently something happened and I came to understand what it feels like to be you. I can empathize how frustrated you must feel to have all that power only to be locked in a cage. I feel bad for you, and I want to help you as much as I can." Naruto said plainly. There was no trace of deception in his words.

The greatest of all Tailed Beast stuttered at the boy's admission. "**DO NOT PITY ME, MORTAL!**" It rose to its full height and roared.

Pretending to be unfazed from the immense amount of killing intend directed at him, Naruto elaborated cautiously. "I do not pity you. Like I said, I'm starting to understand you."

The beast visibly calmed down after this explanation. Its red fur smoothed out around its neck and it relaxed back to resting position. "Good." It simply said. Its tails swished slowly behind it.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. He did not want to antagonize a gigantic beast that could use him as a toothpick. "By the way, I really want to ask you this - why are you here, in a cage, in my mind? I mean, what are you? I hope you're not my imaginary friend. I'll need to get my head checked if that's the case. Are you a summon? I've heard they can grow to the size of a small mountain. Mom told me there is even a floating turtle the size of an island."

"I'm not a summon. I am the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, Kyuubi, as you humans call me." The beast scoffed at the notion of being compared to a summoned animal. "I am also known as a Tailed Beast. Unlike normal summons, I am a construct of condensed chakra and consciousness, not of earthly flesh. Death has no permanent hold against me." Kyuubi said with obvious arrogance.

Naruto's blue eyes widened in awe. "Wow, you are a Tailed Beast? I've never met one before... Hold on, you didn't answer my other question. Why are you in my mind?"

Kyuubi scowled at the boy. "Because those stupid spinning eyes, that's why. I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright, we won't talk about it if you don't want to." Naruto conceded. "Let's talk about something else, then. An introduction, for example, tell me about your hobbies, favorite food, likes, and dislikes. I'll start. I like my family, my hobby is to do shinobi trainings, my favorite food is ramen, and I dislike mean people. What about you?"

The demon fox considered for a moment and answered truthfully, finding itself warming up to this peculiar human child. "I like... the full moon. My hobby, before I got stuck in a mortal's gut, was to run at night and chase the moon. I don't need to eat, but I like the taste of natural chakra. My dislike... I hate arrogant mortals who covet power that does not belong to them."

A little surprised by the honest response, Naruto couldn't help but grinned widely at the prospect of making another friend. Blinking rapidly, Naruto let out a loud exclamation as he had an epiphany. "Whoa! Hey Kyuubi, I just had a great idea. Watch." He pointed at the fox and concentrated. A large ball of blue chakra formed inside the cage in the same manner as the Cone of Shame from last time.

Kyuubi sat up in alarm. "What's this?" It grew suspicious. Several of its tails tentatively poked at the chakra orb. The item bounced around in the cage but did not disperse from the force.

Naruto's grin grew even wider at the question. "It's a ball. Like the full moon. You can play with it if you're bored."

"This is... different." Kyuubi pawed at its new toy. The beast's slitted eyes followed the ball with barely concealed interest. If the demon fox were trying to be nonchalant about this, it failed spectacularly.

"I'm glad you like it." Naruto said happily, seeing the fox's attention was solely on the chakra ball. "Consider this my apology for being mean to you last time. Let me know if you need anything else, OK? I'll see you around." He waved at his new friend and allowed his consciousness float back to reality.

* * *

_Hokage's office, nine years after Kyuubi's defeat_

Jiraiya jumped out from nowhere and landed in his usual spot - on the ledge of the wide window frame in his teacher's office. "Yo!" He greeted the Hokage with a lopsided grin.

Hiruzen carefully laid down his pipe, making sure the content he smoked was not spiked with anything too strong. As far as he knew, Jiraiya had not been this happy for years. "Nice to see you again so soon, Jiraiya. You're in an awful good mood. Care to share the good news?"

"Naruto is still alive." The Toad Sage stated simply, the exuberant expression on his face was infectious.

The Third slowly stood up from his seat and strolled closer to his student. "You are absolutely sure?" He asked gravely, his heartbeats sped up in his chest.

"One hundred percent. I triple-checked this with three different sources. My godson is alive." Jiraiya confirmed again.

The smile on Hiruzen's face mirrored that on Jiraiya's. "I want the whole story. Come in and sit down." He asked.

Jiraiya climbed through the window and sat down on the couch. After dismissing the ANBU on duty and sealing up the room for privacy, the white-haired sage started telling his tale. "You know how I've been building contacts all over Lightning Country. Recently I finally broke through deep enough to Kumo and I met this interesting guy. His name is Killer B, he is the container of Hachibi. The guy is also the teacher of Yugito Nii, the container of Nibi."

At this point, Hiruzen was chewing thoughtfully on his pipe. Discovering the identity of demon container was no small feat. Getting friendly with them as a shinobi from a foreign nation was a testament of Jiraiya's skill as a spy master.

Jiraiya continued, "The Yugito girl was well-trained enough to use Nibi's chakra to some extend. Killer B, on the other hand, had such mastery over Hachibi, he can freely communicate with the beast and use all of its eight tails in battle without losing his mind."

The Third sucked in a breath of smoke at this information.

"A few months ago, Yugito and her team was sent to Waterfall Country for a mission. They ran across an area with signs of battle where Nibi sensed Kyuubi's chakra. It was faint since the chakra signature had faded over time, but according to Nibi, it was definitely Kyuubi. I went to Waterfall Country myself and summoned a sensor toad. It confirmed the claim immediately. I even went to the hidden village of Taki and requested a special mission from their Nanabi container just to be absolutely sure. The Fu girl said the same thing. It's Kyuubi's chakra." Jiraiya said again for the third time, "Naruto is alive."

"Naruto is alive." Hiruzen echoed as the smile on his face grew to a gleeful grin. "There is still hope. What's the boy doing in Waterfall Country? He can tap into Kyuubi's chakra... He is much too young to do it consciously. Was he in danger? Hold on, you said signs of battle. What did you find?" The old man grew increasingly concerned after he got over the fact Minato's son was alive.

"Settle down, teacher. I'll get to that." Jiraiya said with a calming tone. "I combed the area and found several cremated remains - one dead horse and four dead men. Whoever killed them was in a real hurry. Even though they looted the corpses and cremated them afterward, they did not take the time to undo all the damages in the vicinity. There are signs of extensive use of earth jutsu and water jutsu. I also found weapon marks all over the place. If my hunch is right, those dead men were from Iwa."

"No headband, I presume?" The Third asked.

Jiraiya shook his head. "No headband. No clothes, actually. The bodies were stripped clean. I did find several broken shuriken embedded in a tree. The quality of the steel had Iwa all over it."

Hiruzen nodded gravely. "My guess would be, some Iwa nin ran into Naruto and they attacked him due to his resemblance to the Yellow Flash. Why else would a team of shinobi attack a nine-year-old child?"

"My thoughts exactly." The Toad Sage agreed. "Whoever took the kid in was smart enough to hide the bodies. They must know to avoid Earth Country like the plague in the future. I doubt they would even risk staying in Waterfall Country after this. Too bad the trail is several months old already. Knowing I'm this close to bringing the boy back to Konoha..." He sighed ruefully but did not finish the sentence.

The Third chuckled. He put a hand on his student's shoulder and said, "cheer up, Jiraiya. Think of it this way. At least now we know where to concentrate our effort. By process of elimination, we know he won't be in Earth or Waterfall anymore. Rain is also out since it's completely locked down. Therefore, Naruto must be somewhere in Grass or other minor countries west of Fire Country. If we watch the western border carefully, then we can know for sure as soon as he crosses into our territory. Hell, I'll be surprised if you have not pulled out your spies from Lightning and pour them westward already."

Jiraiya laughed out loud at the last comment. "You know me too well. I sent them out just before I came to inform you." The smile on his face slipped a bit when he added, "even so, since this intel is a couple months old, if we are really unlucky, then he could be in Fire Country as we speak. By the time we tighten up the western borders, he could slip by northward to Rice Country or southward to River Country... He could be anywhere, really, if he moves fast enough."

"Then so be it." Hiruzen interrupted. "We can only do so much. Konoha simply can not spare the necessary manpower to cover all the grounds. At least we know the boy is alive and well. I, for one, is thankful."

"You and me both, teacher." Jiraiya sighed wistfully before he quickly added, "I pooled all my resources and gambled on him staying in Grass. Now let's hope I have better luck than Tsunade."

The Hokage chuckled at this.

* * *

Crossguard, the southernmost border town of Iron Country, was the only gateway that allowed non-samurai access in and out of Iron Country. The town was straddling the trading routes connecting Iron Country to the north, Wind Country to the west, and River Country to the east. To the merchants, this small town was merely a rest stop for their trading vans; to Iron Country, this place was the mouth that kept its people fed.

Grains, fish, fresh produce, and medicine were brought in daily from River Country. Low grade minerals and raw materials were carted in in bulk from Wind Country. In exchange, precious metals and high quality steels were exported out to the rest of the Elemental Continent at a premium. Iron Country was home to both the mighty samurais and skillful blacksmiths.

Despite its location west of River Country, Iron Country was covered in snow most of the year instead of a mild climate due to the high altitude. The Sanro Mountain Range was both a curse and a blessing to its people - the harsh weather and poor soil allowed only one harvest per year, but the mountain itself provided all the riches in the world in the form of high quality ores.

People of Iron Country were much like their namesake - they were also tough and unyielding. They believe in discipline and trial by fire, much like how the blacksmiths would temper iron into steel by shoving it into the coal forge and then repeatedly hammering out the impurity. To be fair, most of its people worked in the metallurgy industry one way or another, so it was natural for them to think this way. This peculiar culture was the reason why Iron Country was the only Elemental Country that had a samurai force instead of a shinobi hidden village. Foreigners who visited Iron Country for the first time were often startled by how Iron Country natives accessorized. All Iron Country citizens bear arms; to be seen in public without carrying a blade was like walking around with no pants on.

As a general rules to people living on the Elemental Continent, no one mess with Iron Country. Samurai or no samurai, every ordinary Iron Country citizen knew how to handle a blade; it was as basic as being literate.

All of the above contributed to the unanimous decision for the Nomads to finally settle down in Crossguard after years of wandering. Basically, they were sick of ninjas.

Two months ago, they were minding their own business somewhere in Waterfall Country as per usual. Out of the blue, a team of four Iwa ninjas jumped out of the trees and started attacking Naruto. From the ferocity of the attack, one would suspect the nine-year-old kid murdered their parents or something equally unforgivable. It was bizarre. Either that, or they had an unreasonable hatred for blond. They kept yelling about yellow hair and evil spawn. It simply did not make any sense at all.

Naturally, the Nomads retaliated. Never were they so glad they kept up on their shinobi trainings because otherwise they would all be massacred. The leader of the Iwa nin, a grizzly man who was built like a bull, was most definitely an elite jonin. It took the combined effort of Rin and Kimimaro just to keep up with him. Haku and Naruto each took on an Iwa chunin. They consciously left the weakest one for their sisters since Karin's poison attack was not quick enough to catch faster opponent, and Tayuya had not trained enough for combat yet (which she sweared to remedy as soon as the fight was over).

The skirmish went on for a while as both sides were evenly matched. However, the battle literally blew up in their faces when the Iwa jonin used a wide area Earth jutsu and severely injured Rin. Enraged, Naruto tapped into his tenant's power, and it was over in a flash. Fortunately, Rin's injury was not as bad as it looked. Unfortunately, their draft horse Giant was slain in the crossfire. Loading their injured members in the wagon, the Nomads took turn hand-pulling the vehicle away from the battlefield at top speed. After Naruto recovered from using Kyuubi's chakra, he wasted no time forming spare shadow clones to pull the wagon so his siblings could catch a break. Rin was, not for the first time, amazed by Naruto's aptitude for this high level jutsu she taught him as his birthday present.

They slept during the day and travelled by night, heading straight for Crossguard without delay. At first they let Naruto sulk for brutally slaughtering his opponents, but they quickly slapped some sense into him after one day.

"Don't go all emo on us." Tayuya clobbered him right on the top of his head. Naruto's newest older sister said to him in a no nonsense tone. "Be glad we are not dead. Don't apologize for doing what you have to do to keep us alive. You don't want to be consumed in bloodlust from using the beast's power? Then train. Get stronger. This apply to all of us, actually. We'll all be so strong, no one would need your protection. Got it, little brother?"

One month later, the Nomads finally reached their destination. Daigoro, the captain for the samurai border guards garrisoned in Crossguard, granted them citizenship in exchange for opening up a free clinic for one year. The Nomads were more than happy to take up his offer. As long as they keep their shinobi skills underwrap, no one would bat an eye at their abilities to fight in Iron Country. Activities such as physical conditioning, kenjutsu practice, basic chakra control exercise, and vigorous sparring could easily be passed off as potential samurai recruit trainings.

If they had known getting a citizenship in Iron Country was this easy, they would have moved here years ago! For some reasons, people always gave them preferential treatments merely because they were skilled healers. They should have known, seeing how people in Wave were so nice to them. Still, the experience was very flattering.

A few weeks after they moved to Crossguard, they sold their wagon to a passing merchant and used the money to open up shop, the Rusty Horseshoe General Store (named as such in remembrance of their dead horse, Giant). It sold everything from toys to medicine, or even the kitchen sinks as long as someone wanted to buy it. Rin was indisposed most of the time because of her duty as Crossguard's resident healer. As the oldest sons, Haku and Kimimaro would take turn leading their younger siblings out of town to gather merchandises. Business was booming, the townsfolks were respectful, even the garrisoned samurai troops were quite friendly to their family. Comparing to their earlier nomadic lifestyle, the stability was a much welcomed break.

The only problem was the presence of ninjas from time to time. Foreign trading fleets with more valuable stocks like to hire shinobi escorts. Due to the close proximity, they got to see Suna ninjas a lot. Thankfully none of them ever look at them funny. Not for the last time, they were grateful for captain Daigoro's generosity for granting them citizenship. Knowing that the samurais would keep them safe was a huge relief. The kids would never say it, but Rin knew they were tired of looking over their shadows all the time. Having a place called home was exactly what they needed after being on the road for three long years.

* * *

Tayuya closed her eyes as she played with her newest toy, a short flute. It was looted from the dead Iwa nins who attacked them a while ago. None of her siblings had any interest in taking up a music instrument, so she took it as her own. As it turned out, she was quite talented. Her deft fingers were not just good for picking pockets, after all.

"Hey sis, you are getting really good at this."

Tayuya paused and opened her eyes to look at her brother. "Aren't you supposed to be helping out at Kuro-san's place today? It's my turn to watch the shop." She said to the slightly dirty blond boy with a quirked eyebrow.

Naruto grinned smugly at Tayuya and put down the wooden crate he was carrying on the ground. He reached into his waist pack and pulled out an item to show off his sister. "Take a look at this." He said excitedly.

The redhead took the kunai from Naruto's hand and examined the weapon carefully. It looked like a standard size black kunai. The edges were sharp, the blade was straight, and the weight was well balanced. Twirling the weapon around in her left index finger, she snapped her wrist and caught it in a reverse grip. It felt comfortable in her hand. With a quick flick, she launched the weapon with blinding speed. The projectile effortlessly sank a good inch into the wooden wall with a dull thunk. "It's a good quality kunai. What's so special about it?" Tayuya asked as she walked around the counter to pluck the weapon off the wall.

The grin on Naruto's face was almost blinding. "I made it."

Tayuya froze and raised the kunai up to eye level to give it a more thorough inspection. "You made this?" She asked, the amazement was apparent in her voice.

"Yup. From scratch. Old man Kuro showed me how. He said he will even teach me how to build my own forge and everything. I made more. They are all in here." Naruto opened up the wooden crate and showed his sister the contents. "I made lots of senbon and shuriken too, but those are not as interesting. Making kunai is a lot more difficult. It's really hard to balance the weight. According to Old man Kuro, the longer cutting edge a blade has, the more difficult it is to make it."

Tayuya laughed as she tested the sharpness of a shuriken with a thumb. "Mom would totally flip. We have been looking for a reliable weapon smith forever. The one in River was charging us through the nose. The one in Wind has serviceable senbon, but their shuriken always breaks after one use."

"Tell me about it. What they should have done is to fold the hard steel over the cutting edge and use a softer core so the teeth don't break off so easily. They favored the coarser minerals native to Wind instead of using softer materials. It's a lot cheaper to make but it chips easily. Honestly, if all you want is to chuck them out in mass quantity like they are disposable, then it's probably the best way to make them. This only apply to shuriken though. The same thing won't work for kunai, especially if you use it for blocking." Naruto said with a borderline fanatical glint in his cerulean eyes.

Tayuya put down the shuriken she was holding and slowly backed away.

Naruto wasn't quite done yet. "For one thing, the ductility is all wrong. True, it's easier to temper the steel at a lower temperature, but then you sacrifice toughness of the blade for hardness. If you don't pay attention to the temperature the blade becomes really brittle. Most people won't spend the time to fold metal for a measly kunai, but I think it's just laziness talking. Remember the tools we picked up from those Iwa nin? Whoever made them did the exact opposite. Their shuriken and kunai are all made with the same care as any katana blade. You can tell by the wave pattern on the cutting edge. They are so well-made, no one can afford to sling them around like pebbles. I think the best way to compensate is to use those projectiles with solid multiplying jutsu like a variation of Shadow Clone to give it a good boost. However, the same trick won't work with traps and such. Cheap kunai is just as good as top of the line kunai for distracting enemies. But then again, it's really tedious to keep track where you store your high quality kunai and where you store your cheap kunai. So my solution to this problem is to..."

With a pained look on her face, Tayuya raised her flute and started casting a sound-based genjutsu. Ten seconds later, Naruto was lying on his back on the shop floor, snoring softly. Naruto's pet rabbit-dog-fox-cat Fluffy climbed up to its owner's chest and pawed at the sleeping boy's face. Curiously, the animal was not bothered by the sleep-inducing illusion at all even though the range of the jutsu covered the entire shop.

Tayuya resolved to come up with a more elaborate jutsu for future use as soon as possible, if she wanted some peace and quiet. She wouldn't be able to catch Naruto so easily again with the same trick. Listening to Naruto rant about ramen was fine because, well, it's food, and any person with a drop of Uzumaki blood in their vein loved ramen. However, the same cannot be said about blacksmithing. Besides, this jutsu was still not strong enough to enchant a rabbit-dog-fox-cat... Whatever it was.

Tayuya shook her head and resumed practicing her flute. Naruto would wake up in a few minutes, and he would learn not to rant about pounding metal in front of her so much. Honestly, boys and their toys...

* * *

A/N: Remember the pickpocket? That was Tayuya. Sorry for the late update. Life got in the way.


End file.
